West Side renters came together for our Tenant Union kickoff on April 24, 2024. We collectively build power in our community of renters by sharing resources, amplifying renter voices, and organizing for housing justice on the West Side!
Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 29th at 6:00PM at WSCO's offices at 209 Page St. W. in St. Paul, RSVP here. We meet monthly on the last Wednesday of the month.
Learn more about the West Side Tenant Union here, and check out all of WSCO's Housing Justice organizing work here.
The Tenant Union formed in 2022, and organizes renters around the West Side by bringing neighbors together to talk about what they have in common, issues they may be facing with their landlords or property management companies, and taking action to make sure their rights are respected.
WSCO Housing Justice Organizer Mayra Avila reflected, “We’re fighting for dignified living. That’s what we do here with the tenant union. We have a vision for what community looks like, and we’re starting with us renters. We’re starting to come together, we’re starting to share, we’re starting to say ‘Hey, we’re not gonna run scared, and we’re not going to let landlords pit us against each other.’”
West Side Tenant Union member Teresa shared her story of how she and her neighbors organized for needed repairs in their building, and won.
“It takes courage to say to our neighbor, ‘Hey, this is happening to me in my apartment, is it happening to you too? Let’s do something about it, let’s have a gathering with other people in the building, let’s talk.’” When we did that as a tenant union, what we heard was: infestations, mold, not having their repairs done, getting forced out of their units. We were able to see that we are all facing the same thing, so renters wrote a demand letter together, signed it, and let the landlord know that it’s not just one person, it’s all of us united," said Mayra Avila.
West Side Tenant Union members Teresa and Miguel spoke about the unsafe living conditions in their buildings. “Many of us live in apartments that are owned by corporations that don’t even live here, they’ve never even been here, they’re just buying the land in our communities,” shared Representative Maria Isa Perez Vega, a West Side renter, who joined the meeting and offered her support.
Renters are invited to contact WSCO to learn about how they can get involved and join the West Side Tenant Union to fight for safe and dignified housing.
Learn more about the West Side Tenant Union here, and check out all of WSCO's Housing Justice organizing work here.